SCARED
by SmurfyFriend
Summary: Scaredy smurf has been scared all his life... but why is he so scared of Traveler smurf? Smurfette's determined to find out! oneshot. WARNING: MATURE CONTENT. CONTAINS SLASH AND GENERALLY UNSMURFY SITUATIONS.


**Let it be said right now: I LOVE SCAREDY. I think he's the cutest little nervous wreck in the whole village! :3 but of course, me and my disturbed mind think he's terrified of everything for a reason. come on, you haven't wondered why he's so scared of everything? Enjoy~**

**PS: the Dreamy thing comes from my other fanfic, "Dreamer" and from my comic i have on DA :D**

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Smurfette)<strong>_

That day started like any other. Lots of sun, not a cloud in the sky that spring morning. Hefty, Clumsy, Scaredy and I took Baby smurfberry picking with us. Hefty was holding Baby, making faces at him, bouncing and catching him in midair. The little smurfling giggled like crazy, making little babbly baby noises and grabbing onto Hefty's nose. Clumsy hummed a little, picking smurfberries, and making a conscious effort to stay balanced and not spill his berry pail. I picked berries and enjoyed the lovely spring sun. It was almost time for the spring festival, as I remember. Scaredy was, well, _scared_. He picked berries at a cautious pace, double-smurfing at every little noise he heard. He shook a little when he reached for another berry, as if it would come to life and bite him.

No one knew why he was always so nervous and scared of everything. As far as the other smurfs could remember, he'd never had a truly traumatizing experience. Between that sort of a sheltered innocence and Papa smurf's guidance, Scaredy ought to have been your average, everyday, happy-go-lucky little smurf.

Yet… this little smurf of only 170 years had a certain aura of paranoia that followed him everywhere he went… He always avoided eye contact with any smurf, even _Papa_. He cringed and shied away whenever somesmurf touched him…. And he was always checking over his shoulder. It was like he was watching for something, waiting for something to grab him or something. He only seemed to be peaceful when he was with Baby, and even then he'd stutter when he'd speak. "Gawsh, Smurfette!" Clumsy said with his sweet southern drawl, "I dun' think you can smurf anymore smurfberries in tha' pail!"

I tore myself from my thoughts, and looked down at the pail or smurfberries I had been picking. It looked like it was about ready to topple over any moment. "Oh! Sorry! I must've dozed off." I said, emptying some of the excess berries into Clumsy's bucket. "I think that's enough, don't you?"

Clumsy nodded his head and his too-big hat fell down in his face. I smiled a little and moved it off his eyes. He giggled a little, then scratched the back of his head. "Thanks, Smurfette." He said smiling his sweet, wide smile.

"You're welcome, Clumsy," I said, then turned to Scaredy, "Scaredy, it-"

My hand brushed against his shoulder a little accidentally, making him yelp and flinch. "O-oh, S-Smurfette… Y-you scared me…"He said, breathing a miniscule sigh of relief.

"So I see…" I said, feeling a pang of pity for the little smurf. "We were just about to go back to the village."

"Oh… O-okay…" He said, picking u the metal pail full of berries that sat at his feet.

A small rustle in the bushes made him drop his pail and dive into the neighboring shrubbery for cover. Hefty, Clumsy and I quickly joined him, careful not to get stuck on the thorns. The rustling noises got louder and louder. Scaredy whimpered and tried to curl up in a tight little ball. Hefty held Baby's ears and turned him more towards his chest so the child couldn't see or hear whatever was going to come out from that bush. Clumsy pulled his hat down over his head. Out of the blue, a small voice called. "Hello? _Hola? Bonjour? Konichiwa_? Is anysmurf there?"

Hefty uncovered Baby's ears and Clumsy pulled his hat back up over his eyes and perked up a bit at the stranger's voice. Out of a nearby smurfberry bush, a smurf I didn't recognize emerged. He carried a small backpack, decorated with small frying pans and camping equipment and a small red sleeping bag. Hefty and Clumsy relaxed immediately at the sight of him. "I recognize that smurf!" Hefty said aloud, passing Baby to me and stepping out of the bush, "Traveler smurf!"

The backpacked smurf turned his head in Hefty's direction and gave a smile and a wave. "Hefty! You're looking well!" The stranger identified as Traveler replied.

Clumsy smiled and stumbled his way out of the bush, snagging his pants on the thorns only once, and planted himself right in front of the stranger. "Go-lly, Trav'ler! Is that really you?"

Traveler ruffled Clumsy's floppy hat a little with a little smile, "It sure is Clumsy! You haven't changed a bit, ya little smurfer!"

I stepped out of the bush, Baby playing in my hair and cooing a bit. "And who might this lovely vision be?" Traveler asked, coming to me and helping me out of the thorny plant.

I smiled sweetly. "I'm Smurfette," I said, "And this is Baby."

"Hi there little fella," Traveler said with a charismatic smile.

Baby shied away from him, burying his face in my white dress. He whimpered a familiar little snivel that predicted a full-out cry-fest. I bounced him on my hip a little, shushing him softly. "_Hey… hey… what's gotten into you?_" I cooed, "He's just a little fussy… he hasn't had his nap today."

Traveler nodded a little, smiling. Noticing Scaredy hadn't put in his say, I turned back towards the bush. The timid little smurf looked positively _white_. His eyes were wide and pupils were tiny. His mouth was slightly agape and his lower lip trembled with the rest of his body. He was still curled up in a tight little ball, rocking himself slightly. I've never seen a smurf look so _terrified_. He cautiously uncurled himself and stepped out of the bush to get his pail. "Ah, and Scaredy too!" Traveler said, taking notice of the shaky little smurf. "Still scared out of your smurf as always, I see."

Scaredy shivered in reply, shying away from Traveler's gaze. Seeing the little smurf in this paralyzed state made my _"maternal instinct"_gears turn. "Scaredy? Are you okay?" I asked gently, putting my hand lightly on his shoulder.

He immediately flinched and recoiled under my hand. The trembling little smurf looked at the ground and shook his head. "N-n-_no_… I-I-I'm going back to the village…" He stuttered quietly.

He almost forgot his pail. He picked it up without a moment's hesitation and darted away from the group, faster than I've ever seen him move before. "Tch, little fellow's always been like that. Ever since I was his mentor." Traveler said, shaking his head, "One of these days, the little smurfer's gonna smurf himself to death."  
><em><br>I should've known something wasn't right…_

* * *

><p>(Scaredy)<p>

_  
>Oh God… Why him…? Why not ANYSMURF else…? WHY ME?<em>

I nearly tripped over a large tree root in my frantic escape. _WHY did he have to come back? Why couldn't he have just stayed away?_ I stopped by the edge of the village, trying to catch my breath. My knees were knocking again. My hands were clammy and pale, shaking and trembling. My breath itself felt unnatural and uneven in my chest. _**Snap!**_ I jumped a little. _HE FOLLOWED ME!_I turned to face my fear. A little mouse sat on a broken twig, cleaning its face with its little paws. I uttered a little yipe and took my pail with me, spilling at least half of its contents.

I finally reached my little mushroom house, and unlocked the two locks on the front door. I left my berry pail on the stoop, then peeked into my house to make sure there was nothing in there. I carefully stepped inside, closing the door behind me. _Click!_ I flinched. _No… it was just the lock..._

WHY… WHY ME… Why did he come back…

I whimpered a little, shamelessly, and hugged my arms tightly. I tried to keep myself from shaking. Little tears started spilling over my eyelashes. _Why won't he just leave me alone…? Skritch. Skritch. Skritch._ My heart nearly stopped in my chest. "_YIPE!_" I yelped.

I turned around. _Just a little twig scratching on the window…_I breathed a sigh of relief.

_I wish I was braver… _I thought to myself. _I wish I could be more like Hefty, or Handy, or one of the older smurfs. Hefty's the bravest smurf in the whole village… nothing could scare hi- __**skkh, Skkh, skkh-k-k-k-k**__._

I whimpered more, feeling scared and covered my eyes. I couldn't tell what those noises were. Or where they were coming from. They just seemed to surround me. Trap me. _Torment_me.

Feeling scared and helpless, I scrambled from the entry room to my bedroom. I tore open the closet doors, and shakily closed myself in.

This little space… this corner in my home… _it was the one place in the entire world where I felt completely safe…_ I had some light in there, so I was never in the dark. I had a little blanket in there, so I was never cold either. No smurf ever bothered to look for me in there. _My closet was my safe haven. _The one place in the entire world where I knew nothing could ever touch me, or hurt me, or say terrible things to me.

_Why did he have to come back…._

After a short while, I was feeling much more calmed down. I gave a little sigh and let my head hang loose a bit. My neck always hurt because of how much I have to look over my shoulder. That sense of calm was shattered by a loud, terrifying noise. _Oh… It's just Harmony calling a meeting._I breathed a sigh of relief. As much as I didn't want to leave my little sanctuary, Papa smurf only called meetings when something was important. I pried myself away from my little corner of the world and walked out the front door. I locked both of the locks and slipped the keys under the mat.

Feeling hyperaware to my surroundings, I cautiously made my way to the village square. All of the smurfs were gathered around the Speaking Shroom, our red-clad leader on top. And _HIM_standing right next to him.

"…And we welcome our dear friend, Traveler smurf, home after 20 years absence!" Papa smurf smiled, continuing something he had been saying earlier.

Traveler smiled and shook his head. "Oh no, I'm not staying long, Papa smurf." He said, "Three days, four at the most to replenish my supplies. I'd really best be back on the road soon."

I exhaled a sigh of relief. _I'll only have to avoid him for three-_"Scaredy," Papa smurf interrupted my thoughts, "Do you have any room in your home?"

My heart froze. "Y-y-yes, P-p-papa Smurf…" I stuttered, "B-b-but-"

"Excellent! Traveler, you will sleep at Scaredy's house during your time here." Papa smurf said with a wide smile. "It'll give you two a chance to reconnect as mentor and mentee."

"Oh, goody…" I mumbled under my breath.

_Why…?_

Most of the smurfs dispersed, leaving me shaking in the dust. _**Tff. Tff. Tff.**_Approaching footsteps. I immediately tensed up, feeling rooted to the spot. _Not him! Not him!_I prayed silently. "Scaredy?" A delicate female voice. "Are you all right?"

I looked up to see Smurfette, standing in front of me, cradling Baby so he slept in the crook of her elbow. He had his thumb in his mouth and he muttered little baby mutters in his sleep. How I envied his innocence… he knew nothing of the unsmurfy realities of the real world… of _my _world… "Scaredy?" Smurfette shook me from my thoughts.

I looked up at her, forcing myself to try and look in her eyes. The gentle concern in them makes me feel uneasy, so I look at her chin instead. "I-I-I-I'm _fine_, Smurfette," I said.

Baby squirmed a little in her arms, and uttered a yawn. He went back to sucking his little thumb and nuzzled against Smurfette's ribs affectionately. "You-you- you'd probably better go put Baby down for a nap," I said, finding my reason to leave, "I-I-I'll smurf out of your hair…"

"Wait…" she said, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I flinched under her soft hand. "Scaredy… Are you _sure _you're okay?" she asked.

I couldn't even turn to look at her. She didn't deserve to be involved with this…. This was my cross to bear… "I-I'm _FINE,_Smurfette…" I lied. "J-just do me a favor, okay?"

"Anything."

I took a deep breath. "P-_please don't touch me…_It- it just makes me feel nervous…"

She retracted her hand from my shoulder. "O-Okay, Scaredy…" she said, still sounding concerned.

"T-thank you…" I muttered, hugging myself a little. "S-see you later…"

I could just feel her eyes smurfing holes in the back of my head. I walked a little faster, with purpose. I want to go home. I want to lock myself in my closet. I want to get out of this night- I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped nearly half an apple high "_AIEEE!_!" I screamed.

"Scaredy, calm down!" I heard Papa smurf's soothing voice. "You're going to smurf yourself sick!"

I turned to look at him. Traveler was standing next to him, a concerned look on his face. _Liar…_"Here, show Traveler to your house, Scaredy." Papa smurf said softly, "Then you two can have some time to talk before supper."

"O-o-oh well, Gosh, P-p-papa smurf…" I stuttered. "I-"

"C'mon, Scaredy," Traveler said, his voice like honey, "I haven't seen you in so long… we have _a lot _of catching up to do."

"W-w-well you see, I'm real tired…" I said, averting my eyes from his face, "A-and I have a terrible headache, a-and-"

"Oh, I insist, my little mentee." He persisted, forcing me to look in his slate- colored eyes. _"You and I just have to catch up."_

I jammed my eyes shut, and led him and Papa smurf the rest of the way to my house. I took the two keys from under the mat and fumbled around with them a bit. I unlocked the door, and let it swing open with a loud creak. "I'll leave you two to talk." Papa smurf said, starting to walk away.

"Oh n-n-no, Papa smurf!" I quickly grabbed his hand, "M-m-maybe you could stay and talk with us?"

Papa smurf looked a bit surprised. "I would, Scaredy, but I have to finish Farmer's growth formula before suppertime." Papa smurf said, studying my features, "I'll see you two at supper."

_I don't blame him… How could he have known?_

Still, I couldn't erase the look of shock on my face as he waved goodbye and left me alone with my smurflinghood mentor.

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Smurfette)<strong>_

_Something's wrong_, I thought to myself, gently rocking the cradle. _I've never seen him so scared…_Soon enough, the little smurfling resting in the cradle was sound asleep, nuzzled up against a little stuffed bear. I smiled a little, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. I quietly left the room, gently closing the nursery door on the way out. Hefty was sitting on the couch in the living room, resting his head on the arm of the couch. He looked up when he heard me approach. "Little squeezer finally down for his nap?" he asked softly.

I nodded. I must've had some kind of look on my face, because when I sat down on the couch, Hefty tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "Something wrong, Smurfette?" He asked.

I looked up at him, hoping I didn't look too worried. "No," I lied, "I'm just fine, Hefty."

He arched an eyebrow, suspiciously. "C'mon, Smurfette." He said, angling himself so he faced me more. "I know you better than that. We have a _kid_together for smurfs sake."

I forced myself to smile a little. "It's nothing, it's just…" I said, trying to find the words. "Scaredy…."

Hefty rolled his eyes a little, "Shoulda guessed." He said, heaving a little breath of annoyance. "He's just always been like that. Ever since he was a smurfling. Everybody's pretty much gotten used to it."

I hadn't been around as long as Hefty or the other smurfs. I was considered the newest smurf, after Baby, that is. But even though I hadn't known Scaredy as long or as well as Hefty, or any of the other smurfs for that matter, whatever in my heart made me a mother told me something just wasn't right with the little smurf. "I know," I said, "But… _something just doesn't sit right with me_…"

He sighed a little, leaning against his elbow. "Haven't you noticed how- scared he gets whenever that Traveler smurf is around or someone's talking about him? Doesn't that smurf you as being strange?"

Hefty shrugged. "I guess it has to do with something like false memories, or something like that." He said, "You know how Papa smurf assigns the younger smurfs to an older smurf, like a mentor?"

I nodded. "Sure… I take care of Baby, Farmer keeps an eye out for Sassette, Papa took care of Clumsy for awhile… I know how that works." I said.

"Well… _Traveler_ was _Scaredy's_mentor." He explained, "Ever since he was a little smurfling, he would come wake us all up in the middle of the night, saying that Traveler hurt him."

I widened my eyes a little. "But Papa smurf would calm him down, and explain it was all just a bad dream." Hefty said, "Traveler swore up and down he never laid a hand on the little guy."

He paused for a minute. "But after awhile, _Scaredy started getting these strange bruises…_" he cringed for a moment. "He swore up and down, though, Traveler had nothing to do with it. We would all go to Scaredy's house and try and get to the bottom of things, and Traveler would have an alibi, as well as an explanation: Scaredy would sleepwalk almost every night, and sometimes he'd end up hurting himself. There was actual evidence in the room."

I looked away. "Eventually, he just stopped waking us all up." He said, "_But he still had those weird bruises_. Around the time Traveler left twenty years ago, he stopped sleepwalking, and hasn't ever since."

I sighed a little. "It all seems awfully unsmurfy to me…" I muttered.

"With all due respect, Smurfette, you're _not_his mother." He said, "You really shouldn't keep babying the little guy."

I turned towards him defensively. "I'm not _HIS_ mother, but I am _A _mother. And I just can't stand smurfily by as something happens to a smurf I care about."

Before he could reply, I heard a knock on the door. I stood up and went to go answer the door. Scaredy was standing on the stoop, the left side of his face angled away. He seemed even shakier than usual, and his skin had a sickly pallid look to it. "Hello, Scaredy." I greeted him gently, "what brings you here?"

He shook a little as he swallowed and forced himself to smile. "H-h-hi, Smurfette," he said, "V-v-v-Vanity told me to go ask you if he could borrow some c-c-c-c-concealor."

The normally paranoid air he had was different. More like an aura of pure terror. "Um, sure," I said, feeling a little pang of concern in my belly. "Why couldn't Vanity just come ask me himself?"

He tensed up at my question. "O-oh, he was- um, he was busy…" he answered quickly.

I went into my makeup bag, and took a little compact with concealor. "Here, sweetie." I said softly.

"T-thank you…" he muttered in reply, taking the compact in his shaky hands.

The little object slipped out of his hands and fell to the ground. Scaredy jumped at the clatter and immediately bent down. "_Oh I'm so sorry!_" he stuttered, picking up the little mirror and blue-stained pad.

I bent down to help him. "Oh, no, it's okay, Scare-!"

I froze when I finally saw the left side of his face. He had a large, purple bruise around his eye and down his cheek. Almost as if somesmurf had hit him. "What's that on your face…?" I asked gently, "Did somesmurf… _Did somesmurf hit you_…?"

He tensed up and immediately lowered his eyes. "_W-what_? N-no, don't be _silly_, Smurfette…" he muttered frantically, "I-I-I ran into a tree branch when I wasn't paying attention earlier. I-I just bruise really easily. Really, I'm f-f-fine."

He scrambled to his feet and turned his face away. "Thank you for the concealor, Smurfette…" he muttered, twitching his mouth to a small smile, "I-I'll bring it back once Vanity's done with it…"

Before I could stop him, he darted out the door and closed it gently behind him. I was about to go after him, but a small wail in the other room alerted me to someone else who needed my attention. I sighed a little, and took my hand off the door handle. I turned around to find Hefty bouncing Baby a little. "_Hey… Hey… what's the matter, little one?_" I cooed softly.

Hefty passed him off to me, and I held him against my shoulder, patting his back and shushing him some more. Eventually his little wails ebbed away, and he pressed his face against my neck. "Must've been a bad dream." I said softly.

Hefty nodded, then ran a hand over Baby's little head. "Poor little squeezer."

Soon enough, Baby was starting to fall back asleep. We took him back to his nursery and put him back in the cradle. I turned to Hefty with a slight sneer. "_Your_turn." I whispered smugly.

He pouted a little, then sat next to the cradle and rocked it gently. I walked outside, and started looking for Scaredy. Something wasn't right, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it!

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Scaredy)<strong>_

_Please, Smurfette,_ I silently pleaded, _just let it go…_

I went back to my house after getting the concealor from Smurfette. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring into my own eyes. I looked away. I couldn't even look myself in the eyes… I used the spongy makeup wedge to smear concealor over my left eye. The dark purple bruises soon disappeared under the blue makeup. I felt so _dirty_…. So _unclean_…

I used the wedge to cover up a couple marks on my neck. I closed the little compact and held it in my palm. _I should hang onto it. I'll probably need more of it later._I went back into my bedroom, and to the dresser. I hid the little compact in one of the drawers, and exhaled a deep sigh.

I had to get the rest of my chores done. But getting myself out the door was a chore in and of itself. Not to mention avoiding Traveler, and Smurfette now too. _I can't let her get involved with this…_ I thought to myself, _not when she has someone who relies on her. If something were to happen to her, I would never forgive myself._

I forced myself out the door, wishing I could be invisible._ I wish I could be anywhere else than this village._"Hiya, Scaredy," I heard a voice approach me.

_"YIIIPE!"_I yelped. "Oh, P-poet… It's just you…"

He smiled a little at me, "It's almost time for dinner, Scaredy." He said, twirling the quill pen in his fingers, "Where's Traveler?"

I tensed immediately at the mention of his name. "H-h-he already left…" I stuttered, turning away from his face. "C-c'mon, let's just go."

Poet looked puzzled for a minute, but walked with me to Greedy's mess hall. "Hmm, wouldn't it just be so smurfy to travel the world, Scaredy?" Poet fantasized, "smurfing from place to place, not a care in the world."

I nodded. "It would be nice to get out of the village." I admitted.

"Ah, and there's the rub." He sighed dreamily, "I'd be too homesick to stay away."

I clammed up. _There's where we're different, Poet. I wouldn't_… Thankfully, it wasn't too long before we reached the mess hall. I sat by myself, so that way there was less of a chance of anyone seeing the bruises under my makeup. I wasn't very hungry… I just stirred the vegetables in the soup in little circles, watching the little grease circles dance. It looked delicious… but somehow I just didn't feel hungry. My belly just felt full of anxiety and nervousness. _**Clkk! Tink!**_I jumped. "Hi Scaredy," I heard a gentle female voice.

I relaxed my shoulders a little. "H-hi, Smurfette." I muttered.

"Mind telling me what's bothering you?" she asked gently.

I wanted to go far away. I wanted to be anywhere but here. I wanted to be away from her prying eyes and concerned nosiness. "I-I've told you before." I muttered, studying the floating carrots in my soup, "I-I'm fine… th-there's nothing wrong."

"Really?" she asked, "Because you haven't touched your dinner."

I poked at the potatoes and floating chunks of meat. "I- I had a few bad smurfberries in the forest," I lied, "M-my tummy's just a bit upset."

I rose to my feet and gathered my dishes. "L-l-listen, I'm gonna go home and go to bed early," I stuttered, "I-I-I'll see you tomorrow…"

I shuffled to the front and gave Greedy my dishes. "Why, Scaredy, you didn't even _touch_your dinner!" Greedy said, eyeing me suspiciously.

I shrunk under his gaze. "I- I- I ate some bad smurfberries in the forest…" I stuttered, "M-my tummy's just a little upset."

He seemed to buy it. "Well… all right…" he said, "I could probably whip ya up something for the upset stomach real quick if you want"

I shook my head quickly, "Oh no, Greedy it's ok…" I said, "I- I'm just going to go to bed…"

Greedy looked at me suspiciously. He arched an eyebrow and cocked his head a little. Greedy's one of the more observant smurfs in the village… I just wished he would turn a blind eye to my "stomach problems". "Okay…" he said, seeming to believe my fib, "get some sleep… I'll make something special for breakfast tomorrow."

I silently thanked Greedy for choosing inaction. "Thanks, Greedy…" I muttered a little. "I-I'll see you tomorrow, then."

I hugged my arms and hurried out the door. I quickly made my way to my own home. I had to leave the door unlocked for _HIM_, so I didn't bother with the keys under the mat. I just opened the door, peeking my head around the edge of the door. He wasn't in the entry room. I breathed a little sigh of relief and took the match that sat on the little table next to the door. I struck the little match against the door, lighting it. I touched the flame to the candle wick, trying to keep my hands steady. Once the candle was lit, I shook the match in my hand to put out the flame and I tossed it into the metal wastebasket. I cautiously made my way to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and washed the make up off my face. Then I went into my bedroom, put the candle on my nightstand, and took a clean nightshirt out of the dresser. I changed out of my pants and put my dirty slacks in the hamper. _**Creeeeeak. Click!**_ My heart just about stopped. _HE'S BACK!_

Panicking, I tore open my closet doors and shut myself in. I curled myself up in a ball, hiding my face and rocking back and forth. _Leave me alone… PLEASE leave me alone!_ The closet doors opened with a loud clatter. I curled myself up tighter, imagining myself somewhere else. Somesmurf pulled me up and out of the little space, gripping my wrist tightly. My eyes darted open, but quickly shut again. _HIM_. "Hiya, Scaredy- cat." He said sinisterly.

"T-t-t-Traveler… _P-p-please don't do this_…" I pleaded with him.

"Aw, Scaredy… I won't hurt you," he said, his eyes hooded. "Who'd stop me anyway? _YOU _sure as smurf wouldn't."

I looked away from him. "I-I-I'm going to S-s-s-Smurfette's house!" I replied, hoping I sounded braver than I felt. "L-l-let me go!"

"What's your rush?" He said in a low, sinister voice.

I tried to fight more, but I was rooted to the spot. He gently put his hands on my hips. I shivered and shrank at his touch. I uttered a little involuntary whimper and jammed my eyes shut. _"Relax a little…"_he husked in my ear.

I bit my lip, trying to fight the hot tears of fear behind my eyes. He adjusted himself so he was directly behind me, massaging my hips. My knees knocked. My lower lip quivered. _Not again… Please, dear God not again!_ "_I want you, Scaredy smurf_." He husked in my ear. "I wanna make you feel good and _smurfy._"

I shook my head, feeling scared and very, _VERY_ unsmurfy. "_Please, Traveler… Please don't._" I half whispered, tears streaming from my eyes.

He leaned his face real close to mine and whispered in my ear, "I'm gonna smurf you…_ALL… NIGHT… LONG_…"

_"AIEEEE!"_ I screamed, trying to fight his grasp, "_P-P-PLEASE! LET ME GO!"  
><em>  
>He covered my mouth, holding my arms so I couldn't fight back. "<em>Shh, shh,<em>be quiet." He snarled. "We wouldn't want to wake anysmurf up, now would we?"

He took his hand off my mouth and forced me to the ground. I immediately spoke up, "P-Please, _NO!_Th-this's wrong!"

With one swift movement, he brought his knuckles down on my jaw, _"SHUT UP!"_he snarled evilly.

I was almost certain he'd knocked a tooth lose. I felt something sticky on my lip, and smelled something foul. _"NO!"_I kept fighting.

He fired more and more punches and slaps at my face and chest, not hesitating for a moment, not missing a single hit. I swallowed what tasted like blood, and weakly tried to stand up. Traveler trapped me in his grip again, then put his hands on the collar of my nightshirt. I cringed at his touch, and in one swift movement, he yanked and tore open my nightshirt til it was completely open in the front. I shook uncontrollably, sobbing copiously. He turned me forcefully away from him, and put his hand inside my boxers. "Well well… what do we have here?"

"_P-PLEASE! STOP!"_I shouted, blushing and fighting to get away.

"You _KNOW _you like it," he husked menacingly in my ear.

"I―I _DON'T_! G-get _OUT_!" I screamed.

He forced himself on top of me. "_P-PLEASE! You're hurting me!_" I pleaded, blushing a deep beet red.

"_I'll be gentle…_hehehe" he snarled, turning me over on my stomach and kneeling down on the backs of my legs.

_**"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Smurfette)<strong>_

I still wasn't satisfied with my answer from Scaredy. Something was _DEFINITELY_wrong, but he wasn't talking to me. I remembered the conversation I had with Greedy after he left.

_"Hi, Greedy. Soup was really good today." I said, putting my dishes in the washtub._

"Oh, hi, Smurfette. I'm glad to hear it." He replied with a smile, "Just wish Scaredy could've tasted it. Upset stomach and all."

"yeah…" I muttered.

"You don't think it's his stomach either, do you?" he surprised me with his answer. "Something's really wrong… I can feel it in my gut…" he muttered, his face twisting into an expression of worry and his hand wandering towards a stray cupcake.

"Should we talk to Papa smurf?" I asked.

"No…" he mumbled, "From what I can tell, there's nothing Papa smurf can do before something actually happens."

Sigh. "I hate this waiting feeling," I admitted, "I wish there was something I could do."

Greedy shrugged. "Until he talks to one of us, there's nothing we can do."

"I suppose you're right…"

"Smurfette?" Hefty interrupted my thoughts.

I shook myself from my daydreaming and looked at my friend. He had come over late, afflicted by some sort of insomnia. "You're thinking about Scaredy again, aren't you?" he asked, sounding concerned.

I nodded a little. "Yeah… It's just…. _Something's just not sitting right with me…"_ I admitted. "There's something more he's not telling us… and until he talks to us, or something _terrible_happens, we can't go talk to Papa smurf…"

Before Hefty could reply, I heard a loud frantic knock at my door. I cast a glance at the clock. "Why, it's nearly 2 in the morning!" I said aloud, "Who on smurf could that be?"

Hefty shrugged in reply. I walked to the front door and opened it slowly. What I saw made me jump a bit in pure shock. In front of me, there was a little, sniveling smurf in a nightgown torn all the way to the bottom. He was shaking, his scared, wide eyes brimming with tears. He had dark, purple bruises on his face and chest and his cheeks were deep red. With utter horror, I recognized the trembling heap of blue in front of me. _"Scaredy!"_I said, horrified, "What happened to you?"

The little smurf ducked his head and pulled the tattered nightgown around him and uttered a little sob. "_T-t-t-t-t- Traveler… H-h-he DID things to me…_" he sobbed.

"Who was at the door?" Hefty asked, walking to the doorway.

Once he saw who it was, he rolled his eyes and relaxed his shoulders. "Oh, not _THIS_again!" he said, sounding exasperated, "Go back to bed, Scaredy."

"Hefty, hush!" I hushed him, then turned back to the shivering little smurf in my doorway. "Come in, Scaredy… I'll make you some hot sarsaparilla."

I eased him through the door and led him to my couch. He sat slowly, and hugged his knees to his chest. I went to a cupboard near the door and took a large blanket from it. I brought it to the little shivering smurf. "Here," I said gently, "You looked cold."

He nodded a little, avoiding eye contact. He wrapped the quilt around himself and sighed a little. I reached for his shoulder, but retracted my hand when I remembered what he asked me. I walked to the kitchen and put some water in the kettle, then put the kettle over the stove. "Smurfette, he had a bad dream and had another sleepwalking episode." Hefty half whispered. "Just send him back to bed."

"Hefty, dream or not, _look at him_! He's barely even blue anymore!" I said defensively, "_and look real closely at the bruises on his wrist_."

He left for a few minutes, then came back with a confused look on his face. "It- it looks like a _hand print_…" he stated blankly.

"_Exactly_." I replied.

The tea kettle whistled. I went to go pick it up before it woke- **waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah**! I exhaled a sigh. "Smurfit…" I cursed, rubbing my temples with my thumb and forefinger. "Can you mix these for me?"

He nodded, and I went to Baby's nursery. The little smurfling fussed and cried in his little bassinet. I lifted him from the cradle, balancing him on my hip. "_Hey… shh…. Shh… it's all right… you hungry, sweetie?"_I murmured. "Yeahh… I bet you're hungry…"

I took him from the nursery and down the hall to the kitchen. I warmed up his bottle, then took him to the living room where Scaredy was huddled under the blanket, sipping from a mug. He looked so fragile, so scared… like he was going to fall apart at any second…. He perked up a little when he saw Baby. "M-may I?" he stuttered a little.

I smiled a little bit. "Sure… here…" I gave him the bottle, and showed him how to hold Baby. "You hold his head like this… hold him at kind of an angle so he eats…"

He nodded a little bit, and followed my instructions. He gave Baby the rubber nipple, and watched in marvel as the little smurfling suckled hungrily. He whispered words I couldn't hear, still shaking. "_You don't know how lucky you are, little one_…" he murmured to the infant, "_No one's ever hurt you…. Nothing's ever left you scarred… You're safe from the world…and everysmurf in it…"  
><em>  
>I bit my lip a little, fighting tears. Baby pushed the bottle away, and Scaredy put him over his shoulder and gently patted his back. Baby burped a little, and Scaredy whispered to him more. "Scaredy," I said gently, "Would you- <em>would you mind telling me what happened?<em>"

Scaredy exhaled a deep breath, and buried his nose in Baby's little shoulder. "I- I- I'm too _scared…_" he confessed. "He- he- _he said he'd_-" he couldn't finish, he just started rocking back and forth, still shaking.

I hesitated for a moment, but then put my arm around his scared shoulders, and gently angled him so he could cry on my shoulder. "Scaredy…"I said softly, "I'm you're my friend… you can smurf me _anything_…"

He stopped shaking a little, and passed Baby to Hefty. "T-T-Traveler…. _H-he- Oh, God, he-"_he still couldn't finish.

"_Shh…shh… It's okay_…. Its okay…"I cooed softly, "he can't touch you any more…_you're safe here_."

He shakily and tearfully described how he got to such a disheveled state. Hefty and I listened, horrified at what this poor little bundle of blue had gone through. "_Dear God_…" I muttered.

He wiped his eyes a little. Hefty stood, holding a sleeping Baby against his chest. "I'll put this little squeezer back in his cradle," he said, "Then I'll go get you a clean nightshirt from my house."

The younger smurf mouthed a thank you. Hefty went to put Baby back in the nursery, then went out the front door, closing it with a quiet click. Scaredy jumped a little at the click, and wrapped himself in the quilt. "C'mon, sweetie…" I said, giving him a little squeeze, "let's get you cleaned up."

He sighed a little in reply, then eased himself out of the couch. I led him to the bathroom, and sat him down on the side of the bath tub. I took a washcloth and dipped it in the warm water. I wrung it out, then gently daubed around the dried red trail in the corner of his mouth. "I- I feel so _dirty,_ Smurfette…" he stuttered, tears bubbling from his eyes."I-I feel so scared, a-and so _violated_..."

The little smurf's tears yanked at my heartstrings. "I-is this all I'll ever be good for?" he asked aloud, "_being somesmurf's little sex toy_?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head, not quite knowing what to say. "_I-I can't stand it any more, Smurfette..._" he sobbed a little, "_I-I'm sorry..."_

I was confused at his apology. But when I opened my eyes, my heart just about stopped in my chest. Scaredy sat on the edge of the bathtub, holding a blade from my razor over his wrist and sobbing quietly. I immediately got closer to him and swatted it out of his fingers. "_NO, Scaredy!"_ I almost shouted, feeling terrified, _"I don't care _WHAT _he's done to you, suicide is never the answer!"_

He looked at me, shock in his face. "I-I'm sorry, Smurfette," he stuttered, "I just can't take it anymore... _The only reason I hadn't done it sooner is because I'm too scared to find out where I'd go..._"

Tears started dribbling down my cheeks. "Smurfit, Scaredy... I know you've gone through a lot," I tried to get ahold of myself. "But you're not alone anymore. You _never _will be again. You have me, and Hefty too. We'll never, _EVER_let that smurfstard touch you again."

He put his head down and sobbed over my shoulder. _**Creeeeeeak... Click**_! Scaredy flinched. "It's ok! It's ok..." I assured him softly, "it's just Hefty... He won't hurt you, and he wont let anysmurf else hurt you either."

I heard his heavy breathing quiet down a bit, relaxing a little bit. _**Tff. Tff. Tff**_. "I grabbed the smallest one I could find," Hefty called from down the hall.

He appeared in the doorway. His eyes scanned from me, to Scaredy, to the razor that rested on the towel next to him on the tub, then back to me. "Uh- thank you, Hefty..." I said, biting my lip a little. "Just leave it in the sink..."

He put the cotton nightshirt in the sink, then walked out, shaking his head and heaving a heavy sigh. "Hey, sweetie..." I said to the little shivering bundle in my arms, "Hefty brought you a clean nightshirt..."

He nodded a little, and stood up. He gingerly shook the tattered nightshirt off his back, facing the wall. His back was covered in deep scratches and dark purple bruises. The backs of his calves had dark purple contusions. His shoulders looked more purple than blue. _How did nobody find something wrong with this...?_

He pulled the nightshirt over his head, and yawned widely. "C'mon, Scaredy," I said, "you should try to get some sleep."

Scaredy blinked a little in reply. I led him back down the hallway to the living room. I got him a pillow and a blanket, and tucked him in. He nestled under the blanket, pulling it up to his nose. "It's kinda funny," he said softly, "even after all that's happened tonight... I-_I don't feel scared..._."

I smiled a little and gave him a kiss on the temple. "I'm glad to hear it, sweetie," I said.

He slowly nodded off, and I put out the candle. Hefty poked his head in the doorway. "He asleep already?" he whispered.

I nodded. "C'mon. Let's go talk outside, on the terrace." I whispered back.

He followed me out to the terrace that faced the forest. "Did he really...?" Hefty asked, hesitant to finish.

I averted my gaze and bit my lip. "Yes..." I confirmed, "He just- he said he couldn't stand it any more..."

Hefty ducked his head and gave a heavy sigh. Suicide has always been a hard topic for him. Ever since his twin brother, Dreamy, gave himself up to Gargamel because he was so tired of being trapped here, Hefty can barely even think about suicide, let alone talk about it. He sat on one of the chairs that sat on the patio, holding his head in his hands. "I-I-I know he's gone through a lot in his life," he stuttered a little, "But how could anyone make that call...? He's a _KID, _for smurf's sake!"

His breathing was jagged and broken. "H-he's only a grown-up smurf for _twenty years_, yet he- _he holds a blade to his wrist_...? How could he have been hurting so _bad_, and _nobody give a smurf enough to care_...?"

I sat next to him, patting his back. "Part of me thinks... Maybe he didn't _want_ us to know..." I said, "You should've heard him earlier... He felt _dirty... Violated._.. Would you really want to broadcast that to everyone? That somesmurf you trusted did such _unsmurfy_things to you? Yes... This NIGHT could've been prevented had he smurfed up... But the shame from admitting such a horrible thing might be almost as bad as the evils themselves."

I sighed a little, fighting tears. "I can say this much..." I started, "That little smurf's gone through far too many horrid things for being as young as he is... I don't blame him for wanting to be dead..."

He looked up, an angry, betrayed expression dominating his face. "I'm _NOT_ justifying his actions, _OR_ Dreamy's," I said defensively, "_No_smurf can make the call that no life at all is better than what they have."

He bit his lip and wiped his eyes. "I was just saying that given all he's lived through, I'm not surprised he wanted to leave here and never be able to come back."

He buried his head in his hands and sobbed more. I patted his back, and tried my best to soothe his crying. It All felt like some kind of a bad dream, I felt like I'd wake up the next day and everything would be normal and smurfy again.

_How naive I was..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Scaredy)<strong>_

I felt the sun's warmth and light through a nearby window. I slowly opened my eyes, scanning the unfamiliar room. I felt a distinct, icy stab of fear in my stomach. My eyes rested on a sleeping blue lump slumped over in a chair. Then I remembered... _I went to Smurfette's house after Traveler..._ I shuttered in memory. I wished I could just forget the whole, unsmurfy night... Smurf, I wished I could've just forgotten all the nights of my life... I whimpered a little and snuggled in the thick quilt. The blue lump across from me stirred, mumbling a little. It was Hefty... _He must've stayed the night_, I speculated. "Hey, Scaredy," He muttered, sleep hanging heavy in his voice, "Feelin' better?"

I smiled a bit. "Yeah... I'm feelin' a little better." I said, stretching and yawning.

"Good... Glad to hear it." he said smiling a little.

_**Tff. Tff. Tff. Tff.**_I heard footsteps from up the hall and little babbly baby talk. Smurfette walked in from behind the couch, balancing Baby on her hip. "Good morning sleepysmurf," she smiled sweetly, "How'd you sleep?"

"Very well, actually," I said, sitting up.

I stood up and walked right up to her. Nervously at first, I hugged her. "Th-_thank you, Smurfette.._." I whispered. "Thanks for _everything _you've done..."

She returned the hug, still holding Baby. "That's what friends are for..."she whispered back.

"Well," Hefty said, standing from his seat, "I think we ought to smurf back to your house and get you some clean clothes."

I tensed up, hugging Smurfette tighter. "_NO!"_ I said loudly, my shaking returning, "H-h-he's still there! H-h-he'll _KILL_you now that you know!"

I could already feel the tears coming back. I felt Smurfette stroke my back. "_Shh_... No he won't..." she shushed me, "Hefty'll put that son of a smurf on his smurf if he even _THINKS _about putting a hand on you _OR_me."

I smiled a little. It was nice knowing I had someone to look out for me now... "C'mon pal," Hefty said, puffing his muscular chest out a little and flexing his arm muscles, "Ain't nosmurf alive that'll getcha when you have Hefty in your corner."

I took a deep breath and turned to Hefty. "O-Okay..." I said, bravely, "b-but I'd really feel better if we didn't bring Baby..."

Smurfette nodded a little. "I agree," She said, "I'll go talk to Grouchy. He'll watch Baby."

She went to the window. "Grouchyy! Grouchyyyy!" she called to somesmurf not too far off.

"Whaaat?" he crabbed in reply, approaching the doorway, "_I hate yelling_!"

He appeared in the front doorway, where Smurfette was waiting for him. "Good morning, Grouchy," Smurfette said sweetly, "can you do me the biggest, smurfiest favor?"

"I hate favors!" he complained, "what do you need?"

"I need someone to watch Baby for a little while." she said, bouncing the little giggling child a bit. "I have an important errand to run, and it's not safe for Baby to smurf along."

"I hate 'not safe for Baby'" he admitted, taking the infant and tickling him a little.

He noticed me standing behind Smurfette. His eyes widened a little and his mouth hung open a little. "Scaredy?" he said, gesturing towards his eye with his free hand, "Y-your _eye_, it's-!"

"I'll explain some other time," Smurfette half whispered, "But please don't tell anysmurf about this... Let's just- keep it between us four."

"I... I _don't_hate between us four..." he said, his eyes full of pity.

I silently mouthed a thank you. Hefty nudged me a little. "Come on, Scaredy." he said, "let's go."

I started walking towards the door. Grouchy put his hand on my shoulder "Hey." he said, gruffly.

I flinched a little under his touch. "I-I don't know what's going on..." he said, avoiding eye contact, "but whatever it is... _I hate it_..."

I smiled a little. Coming from Grouchy, that was a good thing... _I think_... "Thanks, Grouchy." I said.

Hefty, Smurfette and I walked to my house. I kept my head ducked, so that way nosmurf would see the bruises. It wasn't long before we finally reached my mushroom bungalow. I took a deep breath and opened the door. _**Click! Creeeeeak**_... I peeked inside, then immediately withdrew my face from the doorway. _He was still in there, sitting on my couch._Hefty and Smurfette by my side gave me courage. I took a deep breath and entered my house. "Well, well, well," Traveler said, mockingly, "so the little sleepsmurfer's back!"

I rushed past him to my bedroom. As I got changed, I listened to their conversation. "Cut the smurf, Traveler." Hefty snarled, "We _KNOW_what you've been doing to poor Scaredy."

I pulled up my pants and took the concealor from my dresser drawer and smeared some over the darker bruises on my face and neck. "What'd he tell you," Traveler replied, haughtily, "that I _smurfed_ him? That I _beat_him? Even if I did, you can't prove it. It's my smurf against his."

I winced. _He was right_... "Actually, Traveler," Smurfette said, matter-of-factly, "We _CAN_prove what you did. Down to the last smurf and bruise."

I went back into the living room, where Hefty was glaring at Traveler furiously, baring his knuckles threateningly. "You dressed, Scaredy?" Hefty asked, not taking his eyes off of Traveler.

"_Mmhmm._" I replied, standing behind Smurfette.

"I _DO _believe you've oversmurfed your welcome, Traveler." She said, cold anger in her voice.

He looked away from me. "Don't think for a _MINUTE_we're not telling Papa smurf." Smurfette huffed, "You'll never smurf your face around this village ever again."

"Which reminds me," Hefty said, cracking his knuckles.

Hefty fired a punch to his jaw. The blow had such power behind it, it forced him to the ground. The smurf of my nightmares coughed a little, spatting something white out into his palm. _Holy smurfamole, that's a tooth_! "I've wanted to do that ALL night." Hefty snarled, moving his wrist in little figure-eights.

We went to breakfast, where Greedy had made his special sausage-and-mushroom omelets. I dug right into mine, hungry from not eating last night. _**Tink-tink-tink-tink!**_The smurfs in the mess hall all quieted their chatter and looked to the head of the table. "I'd like to make an announcement," Traveler said over all the noise. "I'll be departing sooner than expected."

Some of the smurfs chirred amongst themselves in confusion. "Are you sure you have to smurf away so soon?" Papa smurf asked, standing from his spot, "You didn't even get to tell us stories of your travels."

Traveler shook his head. "Yes, I'm sure, Papa smurf." he said, "I do think I've stayed much too long already."

He shook hands with Papa smurf, then started towards the door. He lingered by me for a moment. "Goodbye, Scaredy." he said, malice dripping from his voice. _"I'll see you soon."  
><em>  
>I took a deep breath and stared down at my plate. Hefty shot him a dirty look, cracking his knuckles. Traveler walked past us, towards the door. "So long, everysmurf!" he waved goodbye.<p>

All the smurfs chorused their farewells, then returned to their breakfasts. As soon as we noticed Papa smurf had finished his breakfast, Smurfette, Hefty and I approached him. "Papa smurf?" Hefty addressed him.

Papa smurf looked up with a warm smile. "Ah, hello, my little smurfs!" he said "How can I help you this morning?"

Smurfette's face was solemn as she spoke. "Papa smurf, we need to talk to you."

His smile faded. "I see," he said, scratching his beard thoughtfully, "Come, we'll talk in private."

He led us to his lab. _**Bubble, burrrble bloop**_. The familiar bubble of potions soothed me a bit, almost letting me forget the unsmurfy circumstances of the situation. "So, what do you need to talk to me about?" Papa smurf asked, mixing a potion.

We were silent for a few moments. "I-it's about Traveler..." I said, looking to the side.

Papa smurf looked up from his alchemy recipe. "Yes?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I walked to a nearby washbasin and washed the makeup off my face. I turned around and showed Papa smurf the dark purple bruises on my face. "_Great smurfs_!" he exclaimed, coming closer to me, "What on smurf happened to you?"

He held my chin in his hand, adjusting my face so he could examine the discolored skin more closely. "T-T-T-_Traveler_..." I stuttered, closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to look in his concerned eyes. _"H-h-h-he did awful, terrible things to me..."_

I hugged my arms a little, blushing a deep red. Smurfette took my hand reassuringly. I slowly recounted my terrible night, pausing every so often and crying into Smurfette's shoulder. By the time I finished recounting my haunting night, Papa smurf looked absolutely horrified. "H-he's _really_ been doing this to you... _All this time_...?" he asked disbelievingly.

I nodded, avoiding eye contact. "H-he said that if I told anyone, he'd _kill_them..." I whimpered a little.

"I understand," he said, "but... How could I have overlooked this...? You always passed those bruises off as sleepwalking accidents..."

"I- I was too scared to tell anysmurf," I admitted, "and Smurfette's the first one to believe me, anyways..."

"Call it a Mother's Intuition, sweetie." she said, giving my hand a squeeze.

I smiled at her. Hefty put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't prevent it," he said, "but we're here for you now. We'll take care of you."

Papa smurf pulled me into a protective embrace. "He'll never touch you again, my little smurf." he said quietly, "I won't let it happen, and neither will Smurfette or Hefty."

"What's happened has happened," Smurfette said, patting me on the back, "but we'll stand by you and help you through this, every step of the way."

Hefty cracked his knuckles. "And if that smurfer ever shows his face near this village again..." he said.

He gave the air a sharp right uppercut and a powerful left-hook. "I'll smurf 'em all the way to _Kingdom Smurf_!"

I wiped my eyes and looked at them. "Thank you... Thanks for everything you guys..." I whimpered a little.

"_That's what friends are for_," Smurfette smiled at me.

_Friends... MY friends..._

With my friends by my side, I can get through

_**ANYTHING**_**.**


End file.
